Chapter 344: Chapter 344
Schlick-!
Zhuge Yeon breathed heavily as she shook her sword.
She looked extremely exhausted, as if she were quite tired. Breaking the opponent’s coordination and exploiting their openings had been no easy task.
Their movements were so agile that it was hard to believe they were jiangshi.
Considering that the members of the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Dao Association had fought together, they had sustained far too many wounds. Although they had technically won, the outcome was no different from a defeat.
Most of them had depleted their internal energy, and many were wounded here and there.
The Taoist of the Wudang Sect had collapsed from severe injuries and could no longer move, while Hyeong-un of Kunlun was trying to stop the bleeding from several sword wounds.
Although he still seemed able to move, participating in an intense battle would be out of the question.
‘Anyway…’
Zhuge Yeon and Gwon Mu-jin examined the corpses. Tang Mun-hye and the others who were still unharmed did the same, wanting to confirm if the jiangshi they had only ever heard stories about were real.
“They really are jiangshi.”
“Yes, they are similar to what the elders described in the past. Except they said those ones had a sense of self… whereas these seem to have none, and they don’t even bleed.”
Zhuge Yeon muttered in a whisper, ensuring it wouldn’t reach the ears of the others. The Hunan Dan family had already dealt with similar jiangshi-like beings before.
Recalling what Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak had described, these were different, but there was no doubt they were indeed jiangshi.
Having finished her inspection, Zhuge Yeon looked around and turned her gaze toward Tang Mun-hye. Tang Mun-hye, who had finally looked away from the jiangshi, also stared back at Zhuge Yeon.
“What an absurd coincidence to meet in a place like this! Don’t you think?”
“…Indeed.”
Tang Mun-hye nodded slightly with a faint smile. Although the words sounded sarcastic, she didn’t read too much into it, knowing that was simply how Zhuge Yeon talked.
Besides, they had received their help, even if they hadn’t wanted it.
If they hadn’t arrived, several of them might have died.
That was how formidable their opponents had been.
“So, who are these guys? And can you tell me why the Heavenly Dao Association and the Martial Alliance are working together?”
These two organizations had chosen to walk different paths. If they were going to cooperate like this, there would have been no reason for the Martial Alliance to split in the first place.
That was why Zhuge Yeon was curious about the reason.
“Amitabha… It was we who requested help from the Heavenly Dao Association.”
A Shaolin monk stepped forward and spoke.
Zhuge Yeon recognized his face as well.
He was a martial brother of Muho and one of the Eighteen Arhats.
Possessing formidable skill, he was a monk of whom the Shaolin Sect held high expectations.
‘Was it… Mu-hyeon?’
Zhuge Yeon recalled the name and nodded.
“The Martial Alliance has finally swallowed its pride.”
Mu-hyeon frowned at her remark. The others beside him did the same.
The Henan Martial Alliance no longer existed.
Only the Heavenly Dao Association remained, and they wouldn’t have been able to resolve this incident without reaching out to them.
“That may or may not be the case.”
Zhuge Yeon nodded indifferently. Seeing how they still clung to their pride despite the collapse of the Martial Alliance, she thought they were indeed typical of the Nine Sects and One Gang.
‘Whatever.’
In any case, Zhuge Yeon didn’t care.
Whether it was the Martial Alliance or the Heavenly Dao Association, she had no interest in their actions as long as they didn’t bring direct harm to her side.
“So, you’re saying you’re the elite gathered to rescue Master Seon-jin.”
At that moment, Gwon Mu-jin looked around and let out a scoff of disbelief. What could be more absurd than a ragtag bunch who could barely handle these foes claiming they were going to rescue Master Seon-jin?
“We are the vanguard. The leaders of the Nine Sects and One Gang, along with the masters of the Heavenly Dao Association, will follow as the main force.”
Tang Mun-hye spoke up, reading Gwon Mu-jin’s thoughts.
She was letting him know they hadn’t gathered here without a plan.
However, a snort of derision came from the other side.
It was none other than Zhuge Yeon.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward her. A few frowned in disapproval, finding her behavior rather unpleasant.
“This is… isn’t this sending you to your deaths rather than on reconnaissance?”
“Do not speak such nonsense!”
Hyeong-un shouted back heatedly, raising his voice.
It was a task that someone had to do. Everyone here had volunteered, fully aware that they might lose their lives.
Shouldn’t any orthodox martial artist step forward to rescue Master Seon-jin, the great elder and pillar of the Nine Sects and One Gang?
That held true whether they belonged to the Heavenly Dao Association or the Nine Sects and One Gang.
“Then why were you ‘reconnaissance’ units fighting in the first place?”
At Zhuge Yeon’s pointed question, Hyeong-un fell dead silent. Finding the bastards by chance had been fine, but they had been far too impatient to rescue Master Seon-jin.
They had tried to follow quietly, but in their haste, they failed to accurately gauge the enemy’s strength, and their presence was detected.
That was how this battle had started.
The only saving grace was that the masters holding Master Seon-jin captive had not joined the fight. If they had fought alongside the jiangshi, this group would have been annihilated before Zhuge Yeon ever arrived.
Tang Mun-hye clearly remembered the faces of those captors.
Their deathly pale faces looked like corpses, but their bright red lips made them look as though they had just drunk blood, sending a shiver down her spine.
It was a miracle she hadn’t wet herself the moment their eyes met.
Calming herself with those thoughts, Tang Mun-hye held back Hyeong-un, who was about to lash out in anger, and stepped forward.
“Then why are you here?”
“Ah, I have some business of my own.”
Zhuge Yeon twirled her hair and smiled. She didn’t mention Muho, as it was clear from their reactions that they knew nothing of his situation.
Moreover, she didn’t want to lose her advantage by speaking needlessly.
With that thought, Zhuge Yeon turned around.
She slowly raised her hand and waved.
“Well, good luck. Do your best to rescue him.”
“Lady Zhuge! Are you really going to leave like this? Knowing that rescuing Abbot Seon-jin is for the sake of the orthodox Martial World?”
Hyeong-un shouted in anger at the sight. Even if they had expelled Zhuge Un from the Martial Alliance, how could she abandon the organization she once belonged to so easily?
It seemed she didn’t have a shred of pride as a member of the orthodox faction.
Zhuge Yeon, who had walked a couple of steps, suddenly stopped. She slowly turned back to face the crowd, showing a bright smile.
“I’m sorry. But we have business here too. As you know, the Zhuge Family has long since submitted to the Hunan Dan Family, so we cannot act without permission. Moreover, we haven’t received any formal requests.”
Everyone was left speechless by Zhuge Yeon’s cold words.
Zhuge Yeon had just elevated the name of the Hunan Dan Family to a position equal to that of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Families.
This was equivalent to telling them to come forward and bow down if they needed help.
No matter how much the power of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang and the Eight Great Families had waned, they still had too much pride to bow to a newly emerged force.
However, a look of conflict appeared on their faces.
Receiving help from Zhuge Yeon was the same as borrowing the power of the Zhuge Family.
This meant they could make use of their brilliant minds, which would surely benefit them in a crisis like this rather than cause any harm.
Tang Mun-hye glanced back and forth between Zhuge Yeon and Gwon Mu-jin.
She didn’t know what had happened, but their skills had improved several times over since the Martial World Conference. In a situation where every single drop of martial strength counted, having them by their side was a massive help in itself.
Tang Mun-hye smiled in spite of herself and stepped closer.
‘I’ll play along.’
Her expression seemed to convey exactly that.
“Then, the Sichuan Tang Family will make a formal request. May we ask for your help in this matter?”
Tang Mun-hye spoke clearly, invoking the name of the Sichuan Tang Family. The crowd opened their eyes wide in surprise.
Their expressions showed astonishment that she had invoked the name of the Sichuan Tang Family rather than the Heavenly Dao Society.
After all, to speak on behalf of the Heavenly Dao Society required the consensus of the entire society, so this was actually a much better alternative.
Zhuge Yeon watched this and grinned.
With this, the Hunan Dan Family was placed on equal footing with the Eight Great Families.
Now, whether in a good or bad sense, and whether Dan Woo-hyun wanted it or not, they were in a position where they had no choice but to get involved in the affairs of the Martial World.
‘This is the price for putting me in a tight spot.’
Zhuge Yeon nodded readily with an expression of relief.
* * *
“What?”
“The deaths of Ja Hak-sang and Duke Yun have been confirmed.”
The Myriad Gold Merchant Group was so immensely wealthy that it was rumored all the money in the world flowed from it.
Its master, Man Jo-gang, didn’t show the slightest reaction to the report, merely letting out a dry chuckle.
It was as though he had predicted from the beginning that things would turn out this way.
He was pruning the branches of a pine tree using a small hand-dagger, and every single one of his movements was somehow laden with murderous intent.
The sheer pressure made the reporting subordinate hold his breath.
“What should we do?”
“What else would we do? I sent them precisely for that to happen…”
Man Jo-gang chuckled.
With that single sentence from his mouth, the man realized the entire situation.
Duke Yun was undoubtedly an outstanding individual. Because of that, too many people followed him in this place where Man Hu-ryang was absent.
He possessed enough power to threaten the head of the merchant house.
That was Duke Yun.
That was why the master had deliberately pushed him onto the blade.
The man unconsciously bowed his head and swallowed hard.
“Still, it is a pity. To think that he was supposedly the head of the Myriad Gold Merchant Group, yet he died without even tearing off a single arm…”
“…”
Seeing him click his tongue in disappointment sent an inexplicable shiver down the subordinate’s spine.
He had sacrificed even Ja Hak-sang to get rid of Duke Yun. Since their subordinates had also died and disappeared, the Myriad Gold Merchant Group had actually suffered a massive blow.
Yet he didn’t care at all?
‘But if Ja Hak-sang hadn’t been sent, Duke Yun would have noticed the master’s intentions.’
In the end, just to eliminate Duke Yun, he had pushed Ja Hak-sang and his subordinates, who were loyal and shared deep trust with Man Jo-gang, into a pit of death.
‘Did he also intentionally hand over that secret ledger to Prince Yeong in order to borrow Prince Geum’s power?’
The secret ledger that forced Prince Geum, who had wielded absolute power and committed all sorts of atrocities, to step back. By sending it even without knowing what damage it might bring to the Myriad Gold Merchant Group, he had delivered the decisive blow.
Was he that afraid of Duke Yun?
The man could not understand it at all.
“Then… what should we do about the Hunan Dan Family?”
“Leave them be for now.”
This was also a surprising statement.
Until now, no one who had harmed the Myriad Gold Merchant Group had ever survived.
Yet telling them to leave them alone made him wonder if they were an enemy the Myriad Gold Merchant Group simply couldn’t handle.
“We will clash with them once more anyway. That will be their end.”
“…I understand.”
“More importantly, what happened with Hyeolcheon?”
“We have already established contact and sent a significant sum of money.”
Man Jo-gang nodded and smiled with satisfaction at his subordinate’s report. He didn’t care in the slightest, even though half of the money flowing from the Myriad Gold Merchant Group had been handed over to them.
That made it all the more bizarre.
“Provide them with every convenience. We must give them all the assistance we can.”
“Is this place called Hyeolcheon really that significant?”
“Haha, you do not need to know.”
Man Jo-gang didn’t answer his subordinate’s question, brushing it off evasively. He didn’t care even though the Myriad Gold Merchant Group’s financial power was faltering because they had placed themselves under Hyeolcheon’s name.
‘Something is strange…’
With that thought, the man bowed deeply and turned around.
‘I need to look into this.’
This was definitely out of the ordinary.
A sense of anxiety washed over him, feeling that the entire Myriad Gold Merchant Group might be turned upside down.
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